Ray of Sunlight
by Eunice Branca
Summary: A young boy discovers his blooming sexuality when his unexpected friendship becomes more...eventual SetoxJou. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter One

**Ray of Sunlight – Chapter One**

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            Black clouds covered the city of Domino in an icy blanket of rain.  Again.  It had been raining for a week straight, though the weathermen assured the city's residents that the end was near.  But since when could those exaggerated smiling faces be trusted to do anything but read the scrolling script on the teleprompters?

            In a small corner classroom of Domino High School, a teacher was droning on about mitosis.  A handful of students were paying attention, but the majority was doing their own thing.  The teacher pretended not to notice and just continued with her lecture.  In the back of the classroom, a quiet young boy stared at his best friend sitting next to him, who in turn was staring at something on the other side of the room.

            "Are you in there somewhere, Joey?" asked the small boy, snapping his fingers in front of his daydreaming friend.

            "Huh?" Joey asked, sitting up and averting his eyes from the dreary day just beyond the window's glass.  "Yeah, Yugi, I was just thinking."

            Yugi giggled, winking and nodding his head of punk-rock styled hair toward the pretty blonde girl sitting in front of the window.  "Yeah, I'll bet you were thinking," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

            Joey looked over to where Yugi was gesturing.  When he realized what his shorter friend was implying, he blushed in frustration.  "No," he stated defiantly.  "For once," he continued, his voice becoming louder with every word.  "I actually was not thinking about girls!"  Joey turned back in his desk to face front, only to find the entire class staring in his direction.  Joey lowered his head into his hands as the class burst into giggles, hoping nobody would notice his deepening blush.

            "If there will be no more interruptions," the teacher began, turning back to the blackboard to write that evening's homework assignments on it's surface.  Yugi scribbled frantically in his notebook, glancing up periodically at his blond friend who still had his head buried in the crook of his left elbow.  

            "Joey," Yugi whispered, poking at Joey's blue uniform jacket with his pencil.  "Do you want to come over to my house after school to do this homework?" he asked, holding up his notebook as his friend picked his head up.  Joey looked from Yugi to the blackboard, and then began writing his own notes on a piece of loose paper.  

            "Nah," he said, still writing.  "I actually need to get this work done tonight, which I know we won't be able to do if I come over."

            "Good point.  Well then, I'll see you tomorrow morning?" Yugi asked, smiling at his friend as the bell rang.

            "You know it.  Bright and early-like.  Later, Yug."  Joey shouldered his backpack and followed his friend as far as the door, parting ways to go to their respective lockers.

            Brushing a piece of hair out of his face, Joey sighed at the prospect of walking home in this rain.  He contemplated calling his father, but he knew he shouldn't expect his dad to leave work to come pick him up.  He'd been lucky enough to catch a ride with Tristan the rest of this week, but he was out sick today.  Probably caught a cold riding his motorcycle in the freezing downpour.

            Reaching his locker, Joey sorted through the books he would need that night and the ones that could stay and lighten the burden on his back.  Shutting the metal door, he once again sighed, thinking of how great it would be if he could get an after school job and buy a car.  Wishful thinking, he knew.  If he actually had money he'd most likely blow it away at Burger World and the Game Shop before he saved enough for transportation anyway.  Besides, neither the school nor his father approved of after school jobs for students.  

            "What's the matter, puppy?" A familiar voice questioned.  Joey knew the voice belonged to the occupant of the locker next to him, much to Joey's disappointment and fury.  "Master won't let you play in the rain?"

            Joey looked up to meet Seto Kaiba's flashing blue eyes, an ever-present smirk playing on his lips.

            "Kaiba, I've got a long, freezing walk ahead of me and no time for your lip.  So if you'll excuse me," Joey said, pushing past the tall brunet boy.  

            "Do you want a ride?" a quiet exasperated voice asked.  Joey turned around to see Kaiba looking at the ceiling, as if asking that one question bored him out of his skull.

            "What are you going to do, drop me off in the middle of nowhere?" Joey asked cautiously.

            "No, I'm not," Kaiba said impatiently.  "You know, you and your friends really give me very little credit for being human.  If you don't want a ride, just say so."  With that, Kaiba turned on his heel and headed toward the door.  Joey stood in place, stupefied for a moment, until he realized that this was his only ticket out of the rain and into a nice, warm car.

            Catching up to walk in step with Kaiba, Joey tried to make conversation.  "So, don't you need to bring home any books?" he attempted, noticing that Kaiba's hands were empty save a set of keys dangling off one finger.

            "Nope." He replied simply.

            Only the splash of Kaiba's boots and Joey's sneakers in the rain soaked asphalt could be heard over the absolute silence that surrounded to two teenagers.  Kaiba lifted his hand and pressed a button, breaking the quiet with the beep of a car alarm being disengaged.

            "Park much?" Joey asked when he saw the familiar green Mustang parked diagonally across two spaces.

            "This way nobody parks next to me and dings my car with their doors," he said, climbing into the driver side seat.

            "That's pretty smart," Joey observed.  "You know, I've always wanted to ask you something," he said, plopping into the seat and waiting for Kaiba to acknowledge that he wanted to ask a question.  When no reply came, Joey continued anyway.  "If you're so rich, and so famous, why do you drive around in this little car instead of riding around in limos and helicopters anymore?"

            Kaiba started the car and looked over at Joey.  "I've got a driver's license, so what's the point in being chauffeured around anymore?  I hate relying on others to do anything right, so I'd much rather do it myself."  He pressed in the clutch and put the car in reverse.

            Joey nodded as Kaiba backed out of his parking spaces.  That made sense when you knew how much of a control freak Kaiba could be.  "But you didn't answer my second question.  Why this car, and not one more expensive?"

            To that Kaiba first pointed to the imprint of a snake in the steering wheel, shifted the car into first gear, and pounded the gas, causing the tires to smoke and spin on the slick pavement of the parking lot.  The rubber caught traction, and they were off, Kaiba maneuvering the car around the lampposts and into the streets of Domino.  Joey gripped the sides of his leather seat tightly holding his breath as the car sped by others in a flash of green and chrome.

            "That's why." Kaiba said, looking at Joey with a rare sparkle in his eye and an even more unusual smile.


	2. Chapter Two

Ray of Sunlight – Chapter Two 

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            "Okay, turn left up," Joey said, pointing as his street went flying by.  "There.  You may want to slow down next time we come up to my turn."  

            Kaiba smiled inwardly as he relieved some pressure from the gas pedal, slowing the car down.  He circled the block and this time didn't miss the turn he was supposed to make.  He came to a stop in front of the house Joey pointed to and waited uncomfortably for Joey to vacate the vehicle.  Having never had friends or even friendly acquaintances he had no experience in the proper way to bid farewell.

            "Well, I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow," Joey mumbled, climbing out of the car.  "Thanks for the ride, Kaiba."

            Kaiba nodded as the door shut next to him.  He began watching the blond trek across the front yard, then thought twice and took off down the street.  He had often wondered what it would be like to have a friend, but rarely allowed the thoughts to surface to the front of his mind.

            Ever since early childhood, Kaiba had distanced himself from others.  He'd been hurt often, first by his parents who had left him feeling deserted when they died, then by his adoptive father, who crushed Kaiba's dreams of belonging to a family when he began to abuse Kaiba both emotionally and physically.  It was then that Kaiba decided that if you never let those people inside in the first place, there was no way they could hurt you.  So he devoted his entire life to his little brother, the one person he knew would never betray him.  But although having no friends prevented being hurt by them in the long run, he wondered if the pain of feeling alone and empty was worth avoiding the risk.

            Lately, Kaiba Corp had become much more self sufficient, and Kaiba was needed less and less as crises diminished.  And Mokuba had become very sociable in school, and spent more and more time with his friends.  Being alone with plenty of free time for the first time in his life, Kaiba was forced to confront the loneliness head on.  It pushed him to rethink his position on friendship, and he began to crave the lifestyle of the teenagers he went to school with.  They went to movies, burger joints, arcades, they dealt with losing friends every day, and they still enjoyed their lives, so why shouldn't he?  The problem was that he had alienated himself to the point that nobody would even talk to him anymore.  Sure, he was well respected at school.  He was smart, good-looking, and the others laughed on the rare occasion he made a joke.  But he sat alone at lunchtime, and no one jumped at the opportunity to talk to him in class. 

            But then Kaiba realized that there were a handful of people who made the effort to befriend him, several times in fact.  Yugi Mutou and his friends had frequently attempted to engage him in conversation, and often invited him out to movies and such, even though he always refused their offers.  So when his loneliness reached an all time high, Kaiba had decided to open the door a crack and let these few people peek in.  The trouble would be developing a friendship when they were sure to be suspicious he had other intentions.  

            So he decided to begin by befriending Joey.  Of the group, he was likely to be the most suspicious, and had the most reason to be.  If Kaiba could convince Joey he wasn't such a bad guy, the others would surely trust him as well, right? 

                                                            * * * * * 

            Joey went inside his house, trying to figure out how in the world he'd had so much fun driving around with Kaiba.  They'd flown a lap around the city before arriving at Joey's house, and they'd had a good time doing it.  The bickering and insults were still there, but they were all in fun rather that fighting.  He shook his head to empty it of these thoughts and went into his bedroom to begin his homework.

            The next morning, Joey woke up and dressed for school, proud of himself that for once he had all his homework done and wouldn't have to rush to finish it in homeroom.  Waving good-bye to his father, who handed him two toaster pastries on his way out the door, Joey was further proud that he would be on time to meet Yugi and the others to walk to school.

            Turning the corner of his street and looking up at the threatening clouds above him, he realized that there was no way the others would be walking to school today.  He'd been in such a good mood that he forgot about the rain, therefore forgetting to call Tristan for a ride to school.  Joey crammed the remainder of his breakfast into his mouth, tightened his grip on the straps of his backpack and trudged along, hoping the rain would wait until after he was under the safety of the school's roof to release.

            Just as he was thinking this, thunder clapped overhead, and the downpour began.  Joey started to run, but after a few moments he was soaked anyway and decided he may as well save his energy if he was going to have a wet day at school regardless. 

            Joey felt a car whiz by and looked up to see a red Jaguar pulling over in front of him.  Scrunching his eyebrows together, Joey knew he shouldn't get into a car with someone he didn't know.  But the rain was soaking his clothes and at that point he would have done anything to get out of it.  He sauntered up to the car as the passenger door opened.  Looking in he realized he needn't worry about being abducted, because the driver of this vehicle was the very same who gave him a ride home yesterday.

            "No offense, Wheeler, but you really do look like a wet dog," Kaiba said, looking very amused.

            Joey shook his hair, droplets of rain spattering the windshield and Kaiba himself.  Kaiba put his hand up in self-defense, smiling for the second time in two days.

            "So what's up with the fancy wheels today, Kaiba?" Joey asked, climbing in and looking at the plush leather interior that surrounded him.

            "Just because I have one car that wasn't expensive doesn't mean I don't have any that were," Kaiba shrugged.

            Joey nodded thoughtfully.  The boys rode in silence for a while until Joey finally spoke up.  "So what are you doing tonight, Kaiba?  Big Friday night date?"

            Kaiba shook his head.  "Friday's just another day for me, Wheeler.  I usually don't do much but work on the weekends."

            "That's pretty sad, you know.  Weekends are when you're supposed to be hanging out with your friends, celebrating the fact that you survived another week of school!" Joey joked.

            "I don't know if you've noticed," Kaiba started, "but I really don't have any friends."

            Joey looked at Kaiba, sort of shocked that the high and mighty Kaiba would admit to not having any friends.  Although Joey knew this to be true, he never expected him to admit to a weakness such as not being able to win over friendships.

            After another short silence, Joey spoke up again.  "Well, me and the guys are going to the arcade after school.  Since you don't have any plans, you're more than welcome to join us."

            This was the olive branch that Kaiba had been secretly hoping for.  But he still wasn't sure how to go about accepting without looking like a pathetic loser.  "Sounds like a plan," he said, groaning inside at how lame that sounded.  Luckily, they had just pulled into the school's parking lot.  Kaiba found two spaces near the front and parked his car diagonally across them both.  

            Laughing as he shut the door, Joey pointed at the car.  "You know, I don't even have a license yet and I'll bet I could park better than that!"

            "I told you, it's so my car doesn't –"

            "I'm joking, Kaiba.  Sheesh, lighten up a little."  Joey headed for his locker, which was the direction he knew Kaiba would be heading, too.

            "So why don't you have your license yet?" Kaiba asked, jogging to catch up with Joey.

            "My old man doesn't have time to give me driving lessons.  I've got my learner's permit, just no one to teach me."  Joey looked over his shoulder at the expensive red car parked beyond the school.  "I'd let you teach me if I got to drive that baby!" Joey said, laughing.

            "You must be joking," Kaiba said, sounding colder than he meant to.

            "Teach me please!" Joey said, lunging to grab Kaiba's arm and looking up with puppy dog eyes.  He was joking, but a part of him was hoping Kaiba would say yes, too.

            Kaiba jumped at the sudden contact.  "Yeah, right, mutt.  It's not that I don't want you driving my car, which I don't, it's that I value my life too much to risk it giving you driving lessons," he said, shrugging Joey off his arm as they reached their lockers.

            Kaiba opened his and pulled out a thin notebook and a pen.  This was all he would need for his first few classes.  He was ahead of the class on all of his work, so he usually just sat there jotting notes to look as if he were paying attention.

            Joey, on the other hand, pulled out a mountain of books and papers and threw them on the floor, sorting through to find which ones he would need for his first classes of the day.  Kaiba looked down at him, a smile playing on his lips.  "Looks like you could use some housekeeping in there, Wheeler," he said, nodding at the disaster that was Joey's locker.

            "That's an understatement," a voice said from behind them.  Looking up, Joey saw his best friend advancing toward them.       

            "Hey, Yugi," Joey said, scooping what papers and books he didn't need yet back into his locker.  He shut the door fast so that nothing would fall back out onto the floor.

            "Hi Joey.  Hi Kaiba," Yugi said, waving.  "How are you today?"

            "I'm fine, Yugi.  And yourself?" Kaiba asked, trying his hand at being friendly.

            Yugi's face lit up at the fact that Kaiba was actually responding to him.  "Great!  So did you finish your homework last night, Joey?"

            "Yeah, I did," Joey said as the bell rang.  "See you after school, Kaiba," Joey said as he and Yugi turned to go into their homeroom.

            "I thought we were going to the arcade after school, Joey," Yugi said, looking slightly hurt that his friend would forget about their plans.

            "We are.  Kaiba's coming with us, is all."  Joey laughed as his friend's eyes widened in surprise. 

            "That's awesome, Joey!  I'm glad you both could overlook your differences and be friends."

            "I wouldn't call us friends quite yet, Yugi.  But I'm trying to be nicer to him, just like you told me to."  With that, the two boys sat down in their seats and waited for class to begin.

                                                       * * * * *

            "I'm so glad school's finally over," Joey said, stretching his arms above his head and yawning.

            "Me, too," Yugi agreed.  They headed towards Joey's locker so he could shove his backpack inside.  He'd been lucky enough to end up with no weekend homework, which meant the load on his back could stay at school.  He saw Kaiba leaning against his own locker, obviously waiting for the boys to get there.  Joey was a little surprised, he partially expected Kaiba to avoid the arcade and just go home.  But that didn't mean he wasn't pleased to see him waiting there.  Maybe the two of them could be friends, after all.

            "Hey, Kaiba," Joey said, spinning the combination lock and opening his locker.  "Ready for me to kick your rich butt at every game in the arcade?"

            "Dream on, mutt," Kaiba said, his trademark smirk gracing his face.  "You'll never beat me at anything, haven't you realized this yet?"

            "Hey, there's a first time for everything, right?  Your first time hanging out with a lowlife like me and my first time for kicking your ass."  Joey laughed at the look on Kaiba's face when he said that.

            "Look, there's Bakura and Tristan!  Now we can head over and see who kicks who's ass around here."  Yugi jogged up to his friends to say hello.

            Walking outside, they decided that Bakura would ride on the back of Tristan's motorcycle, and Yugi and Joey would ride with Kaiba.  About halfway to the car, Joey was stopped in his tracks by a hand dangling keys in front of his face.

            "What're ya doing, Kaiba?  You about took my nose off with those things."

            Kaiba just dropped the car keys, at which Joey deftly caught them and looked at Kaiba with a very confused look on his face.  "Knock yourself out," he said, opening the passenger side door and sitting down. 


	3. Chapter Three

Ray of Sunlight – Chapter Three 

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            Two boys standing on the sidewalk watched as a red Jaguar pulled into the parking lot with tires squealing and the sound of screaming coming from inside the vehicle.  The car parked diagonally in front of the arcade, and a very boisterous blond hopped out of the driver's side.

            Shortly after, the passenger's door swung open and two frightened-looking boys stepped shakily out of the car.  The taller of the two headed towards the blond as the smaller boy dropped to his knees to kiss the steady asphalt beneath him.

            "KaibathatwassocoolthankyouforlettingmedrivecanIdrivehometoo – "

            "Give me the keys, Joey."

            "let'sgorightnowIthinkI'mgettingbetteralreadydidyounoticeIparkedyourcar

likeyoulikeitsowhencanIborrowyourcar – "

            "Just give me the keys, Joey."

            "justfortheweekendIpromicetobecarefulmaybeI'llgotakemydriver'steston

Monday –"

            "Damn it, Wheeler, just give me my keys!!!"

            Dropping the keys into Kaiba's waiting hand, Joey rolled his eyes.  "Sheesh, Kaiba, you could've just asked."

            Kaiba stared unbelievingly at the blond as he joined Tristan and Ryou on the sidewalk.

            "Joey can be a little dense sometimes," a small voice said from behind him.  Kaiba just nodded his head as Yugi passed him to catch up with the others inside.  For a moment, he began to doubt this whole friendship thing, but quickly shook that feeling off.  Kaiba wanted friends, these friends, and once he set out to get something he wouldn't just give up because of a near death experience.  A Kaiba never quits, and this Kaiba wouldn't be the first to do so.

            Following the others into the noisy arcade, Kaiba quickly became aware of why he normally avoided these types of places.  Sure, Mokuba often dragged him into one obnoxious gathering place or another, but he would put up with anything for his little brother.  But coming in here voluntarily was another matter.

            Lights flashed everywhere and the pounding music invaded his eardrums, but that wasn't what was bothering him.  Laughter filled every corner, and people were cheering each other on in one game or another.  Everyone was so happy to be together with friends, and Kaiba the outcast just became further separated from the rest of the human race.

            But he tried to convince himself that this time wouldn't be like the others.    This time he had friends with him, too.  He wouldn't just be the lonely guy in the corner waiting for Mokuba to have his fill of fun so they could return home.  He would play games too, and cheer his friends on and be cheered in return.  Yes, he decided.  That was exactly what he was going to do.

            Kaiba spotted Joey and Yugi standing next to a fighting game.  He walked up to it and saw that although they had obviously just started, Yugi was going to cream Joey very quickly.

            "Come on, Joey," Kaiba said, somewhat unsure of himself.  "Kick his ass."

            Yugi was so surprised to hear Kaiba's encouraging words directed towards Joey that he looked up from the game, allowing Joey the perfect opportunity to strike back, defeating Yugi's character in the second round.  Only one more round to go, and with Joey's sudden confidence boost, it looked as if he might actually defeat Yugi for the first time in his life.

            But those hopes were dashed quickly, as Yugi wasn't called the King of Games for nothing.  As Joey lost, Yugi smiled up at Kaiba.  "I'm going to go find Ryou and Tristan and see if we can't get an air hockey tournament started."  With that, Yugi headed for the pool table area, leaving Joey and Kaiba alone.

            Dropping some quarters in the slot, Joey spoke without looking at Kaiba.  "Wanna play a round?"

            "I guess I could find some time to kick your sorry ass," Kaiba said in that same old cold voice of his, causing Joey to look up at him with disappointment in his eyes.  Kaiba felt bad, as he was only trying to get in the spirit of the game, and gave a small smile to show Joey that he was only jesting.  Joey looked somewhat relieved and went on to pick his fighter on the game.

            Kaiba did beat Joey rather quickly, and then they went off to the air hockey table where the others were gathered.  The tournament was over in less time than Kaiba had hoped, with Yugi the victor and himself in second place.  For once he didn't mind losing to Yugi, because he had had a great time doing so.  Glancing at his watch, Kaiba saw that it was nearing six o'clock, and he had to be home soon for dinner with Mokuba.

            "Well, I hate to do this, but I've got to get going," Kaiba said.  "Does anyone need a ride home before I go?" 

            "Nah," Joey said.  "I'm saying over at Yugi's tonight, and he lives real close to here."  Yugi nodded in confirmation of this.

            "Okay.  Well, see you all in school on Monday."  Kaiba began to head towards the door when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.  He turned to see Joey there smiling.  

            "Let me see your cell phone real quick," he said, holding his hand out.  Kaiba was wondering where this kid had learned his manners to ask to borrow a phone like that, but nevertheless reached into his pocket and handed the little silver phone to Joey.

            Joey looked down at it, and scrunching his eyebrows in concentration, pressed more buttons than Kaiba was comfortable with.  He hated when people touched his stuff, and it seemed as though Joey was touching more than necessary for a simple phone call.

            Finally, Joey handed the phone back to him.  "There," he said simply.  "Now mine and Yugi's phone numbers are programmed in there.  So if you get bored in that big old mansion of yours, you can call us and hang out or something."

            Kaiba stared down at his phone, oddly touched by this simple gesture of friendship.  He nodded and smiled up at the rest of the gang.  "I'll do that."  With that, he headed out of the arcade for real this time, careful not to turn back so that nobody would see the smile that was still plastered stupidly across his face.


	4. Chapter Four

Ray of Sunlight – Chapter Four 

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            "Who'd have thought Kaiba could be so, well, not creep-like," Joey said, cramming his mouth with a handful of popcorn.  Yugi sat across from him on the bed, DVDs spread out between them like playing cards.

            "Yeah," Yugi replied, looking deliberately at the cases in front of him.  "So which movie do you want to watch?"

            "You're not even listening to me, are you?" Joey demanded, spraying Yugi with bits of popcorn that flew out of his mouth as he spoke.

            Wiping his face with his hand, Yugi looked disdainfully at Joey.  "Hey, I've been telling you all along that Kaiba wasn't such a bad guy.  It just took this long for him to actually prove it.  Remember, not everyone has such an easy time making friends."

            Joey nodded thoughtfully at this.  He knew Yugi was referring to the days before they became friends, when Joey tormented him because he was such a loner, always hanging around with his nose stuck in some game.  He just never thought of Kaiba as someone who had trouble doing anything.  But then again, he couldn't imagine Yugi having difficulty making friends, either, when he knew for a fact the kid struggled with this his whole life.  

            "Do you even want to watch a movie?  I think I'm too bored for that right now," Yugi said, flopping back on his bed, scattering DVDs as they bounced from his weight.  He sat up suddenly.  "Let's go swimming!"  

            "Where are we going to swim?" Joey asked, knowing that sparkle in Yugi's eye meant he already had it all planned out.

            "Tea's apartment complex has a swimming pool." Yugi said.

            "No offense, buddy, but I really don't feel like watching you make eyes at Tea all night again.  I get enough of that in school."  Joey fake gagged for emphasis.

            "That's the fun part.  She doesn't even have to know we're there."  Yugi beamed at this idea of doing something "dangerous."  It wasn't often that he got that daring streak in him, but when he did they always had a good time.

            "I don't really have any say in this, do I?" Joey asked, rolling his eyes and standing up.

            "Nope," Yugi said as he headed toward the closet to retrieve his swimming trunks.  He tossed another pair in Joey's direction.

            "Yugi, I really don't think your trunks will fit –"

            "No, dumbass, they're yours.  You left them at my house last time we went hiking." Yugi continued digging in his closet for his own trunks.

            Joey looked at the suit again, finally recognizing it.  He hadn't seen this pair in so long, he'd forgotten all about them.

            After the boys had changed, Joey decided to call Tristan to see if he wanted to join them.  Quietly picking up the phone downstairs so as not to alert Yugi's grandfather that they were sneaking out, he listened for a dial tone.  When he got none, he turned to Yugi.

            "Is your phone broken or something?  I'm not getting – "

            "Joey?" a voice said from the telephone in Joey's hand.

            Stifling back a scream, Joey resisted the urge to throw the evil possessed phone across the room.  Yugi grabbed the phone as Joey was whimpering, "It knows my name, Yugi, it knows my name!"

            "Hello," Yugi managed to get out between soft giggles.  "Who is this?"

            "Kaiba." The voice said.

            Bursting out laughing, Yugi tried desperately to get it under control before his grandfather got suspicious.  Handing the phone back to Joey, he covered his mouth to try and quiet himself.  "It's Kaiba," he said between muffled giggles.

            "Hey, Kaiba, sorry about that, I, uh, hey, you actually called us."  Joey was finally over his little scare enough to be surprised at who the caller really was.

            "Yeah, well, Mokuba's at some friend's house tonight, and the house is really quiet, and, well," Kaiba trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

            "Well, Yugi and I were just about to sneak into Tea's apartment complex to go swimming.  Wanna come with us?"

            "You know, I have a swimming pool here if you guys want to go swimming," Kaiba pointed out.

            "Aw, but that defeats the whole purpose of sneaking in, Kaiba.  So you in or not?"

            There was a short pause on the other end of the line.  "Where should I meet you guys?"

* * * * *

            "I don't think he's going to show up," Tristan said, leaning up against the street sign at the corner where they had all agreed to meet.

            "Just give him another minute.  He has farther to drive than you guys did," Yugi said, giggling again after relating Joey's frightening telephone experience to Ryou, who had been hanging out at Tristan's house when they called.  All four boys were wearing swimming trunks and T-Shirts, along with good running sneakers in case they got caught.  As if Yugi's hair wasn't conspicuous enough to identify him if they did.  They were more worried about being spotted by Tea than anything, she would be so pissed that they had come all the way over there and didn't even stop in to say hello.

            Finally a fifth boy sauntered up to the street corner, dressed in the same attire as the other boys as Joey had suggested to him over the phone.  He hid his nervousness behind his normal cool stare, making everyone none the wiser that this was the first time he'd done anything so, well, typical of others his own age.

            "Cool, we're all here," Joey said in lieu of a greeting.  "Let's get wet."   

* * * * *

            The boys got over the fence with no problems, and Yugi and Joey leaped immediately into the cool water, barely stopping to kick off their shoes and without bothering to remove their shirts.  Joey knew Yugi felt uncomfortable about his small build so he always left his shirt on while swimming so Yugi wouldn't feel different by leaving his own on.

            Tristan removed his shirt and carefully placed it on the back of a lounge chair with his shoes sitting nearby and slipped gracefully into the water with his two friends.  Ryou sat at the edge of the pool with his legs swinging in the water.  Kaiba hung back close to the fence, not really sure what he wanted to do just yet.

            "Come on, Kaiba," Joey called while treading water in the deep end.  "Aren't you getting in?  Or can't you swim?"  At the slightly mocking tone in Joey's voice Kaiba slipped his sneakers off and sat next to Ryou.

            "Of course I can swim, and more than just a doggy paddle."  Kaiba hoped Joey got the subtle joke in that comment.  

            Joey glared slightly at Kaiba, and swam off towards Yugi.  Kaiba stopped paying attention to them and tried to strike up a conversation with Ryou.

            "So do you guys do this often?" he asked.

            "No, not really," Ryou said quietly.  "Sometimes Yugi just gets these crazy ideas, and we don't actually have anything better to do, so we just go with it."

            "Yugi gets crazy ideas?" Kaiba said incredulously.  "Hmm, never thought the runt had it in –" 

            Before Kaiba could finish his sentence he was pulled into the water by and already submerged figure.  He really should have been paying more attention when Joey got that look on his face.  Kaiba decided to do a little payback and swam towards where Joey's legs were emerging from the pool.  So the little chicken couldn't handle what he dished out, huh?

            But as Kaiba surfaced he saw all the boys standing near the fence, getting poised to climb.  His first thought was that this had all been a joke on him, a ploy to make him look like a fool.  But then he saw the look on Joey's face as he turned to him and shouted, "Hurry up!  We're caught!"

            Kaiba turned toward the gate and saw a security guard using his key to enter.  He knew that this kind of trouble would be no big deal, and that running was childish.  He'd done things much more illegal than this, how bad could the punishment possibly be?  But on the other hand, he wanted so badly to be a part of the group, so he hesitated long enough only to slip his shoes back on and easily leaped the fence ahead of Joey, who had waited for him.

            Kaiba in turn waited for Joey as he scaled the fence, watching the others race off in the direction of the corner they'd met at.  As Joey hopped down from the top, they heard the security guard calling to them.  Kaiba also heard a very distinct tearing sound coming from above him.

            "Shit!" Joey yelled as he began to jog the way the others had come.  Kaiba followed behind him, holding in a laugh as he saw that Joey had left part of his shorts on the fence post.

            As Joey and Kaiba caught up to the others, they could hear Yugi pointing at Joey and laughing hysterically.  

            Joey looked down at the damage and saw that the entire side of his right thigh was exposed, and immediately flushed red.  "Well," he said.  "At least none of the girls are here to fight over my manly flesh."

            The five of them decided to call it a night, and Kaiba headed back to his car, which was parked nearby.  Driving in silence down the road, Kaiba smiled to himself.  Sure, it had been immature to sneak into a pool, especially when he had one bigger and better in his own backyard.  But it had been fun, and he had the feeling he could get used to this sense of belonging.  He thought back to the last thing Yugi had said to him this evening, just after putting one of Kaiba's business cards            into his pockets.

            "So we'll call you tomorrow for lunch, then."  It had been such a simple statement, said as though it had been said a thousand times before.  And surely it had, but it was the first time Kaiba had heard it directed at him.

            Yes, he was definitely getting used to this.


	5. Chapter Five

Ray of Sunlight – Chapter Five 

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            Seto Kaiba sat at the desk in his bedroom, staring outside at the pouring rain.  His laptop lay forgotten in front of him, as he had been trying to get some work done when his mind began to wander.  The events of the past couple of days certainly had taken a toll on his normally brutal work schedule, but it had definitely been worthwhile.

            Kaiba had taken some pretty big steps, after all.  Picking up that phone and dialing Yugi's number had been one of the hardest things he'd had to do in his young life thus far.  Slowly shedding his hard exterior to reveal the sensitive man inside was a painful task, but Kaiba was determined to finish what he had started.  And besides, having people his own age to be around was rather nice for a change.  

            A small knock sounded on his door just before it slowly creaked open.  "Big brother?" Mokuba called in meekly as a horrendously loud thunderclap was heard over them.  "Are you busy?"

            Smiling warmly at his younger brother, his very reason for living, Kaiba opened his arms to him.  "I'm never too busy for you, you know that."

            Mokuba scrambled into his big brother's lap and was received in a loving hug.  This was a side of Kaiba that nobody ever saw, the side that was caring, giving, and considerate.

            Mokuba needn't say any words for Kaiba to understand how frightened the young boy was of the storm.  Mokuba had often ended up sleeping in his bed during rough weather, Kaiba being the only parent around to protect the child from his fears.  

            Kaiba picked the small form up and carried him to his bed.  Placing Mokuba gently against the pillows and covering him with the blanket, Kaiba sat down next to his brother and stroked his hair soothingly.  Thinking once again about how much his life seemed to be improving, he was pleased when he heard Mokuba's light snoring.  And Kaiba soon drifted off into sleep himself, unaware or uncaring of the raging storm outside.

* * * * * * * * * *

            Back at Yugi's house, however, things were much less serene.  Yugi was sitting against his bed, knees hugged into his chest and eyes squeezed firmly shut.  His fists were balled up so tightly that his small knuckles were a deathly shade of white and a small whimpering could be heard escaping from his throat.

            Joey sat across from him, holding the flashlight they'd dug out when the power failed, a devious grin spread widely across his eerily illuminated features as he spoke in a low, devilish voice.

            "No, Joey, stop, that's enough!  I don't want to hear any more!" Yugi shouted, springing onto his bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.

            Joey laughed at how much his small friend looked like a child all tucked in and eyes wide with fright.  "Okay, okay, I'll stop.  Well, so much for the ghost stories, huh?"

            Yugi nodded solemnly, looking around his bedroom for anything out of the ordinary.  Lightning flashed, lighting up the shadows momentarily and revealing things that weren't really there.  "I wish we could turn the radio on or something.  This storm is starting to creep me out."

            "I'm just glad it didn't hit while we were swimming!  That would have been terrible."  Joey looked at the window, wanting to see how bad the storm had gotten, but Yugi had pulled the shades down, blocking his view.  "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever stop raining.  It's really bringing me down, man."

            "Mm hmm," Yugi murmured under the blankets.  Joey could tell he was drifting off to sleep already.

            Climbing into his sleeping bag on the floor, Joey pondered the day's events.  He couldn't believe how much he actually enjoyed Kaiba's company.  Although he would never admit it to anyone, he always felt a connection with the other boy.  After all, they say there's a thin line between love and hate.  Not that he loved Kaiba; he just didn't hate him, either.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            Once again on the other side of town, Kaiba was tossing restlessly in his sleep.  In his dream, he was being touched tenderly in a way he had never experienced in waking life.

            _"Seto," a voice quietly escaped from supple pink lips as a gentle hand brushed softly against his cheek.  Closing his eyes, he relished the feeling of smooth skin against his own.  When his lids rose back up, he was staring directly into honey brown eyes that were flashing with emotion.  Reaching his own hand up to run it through silky golden hair, he leaned in closer to the delectable looking lips that were still whispering his name so beautifully.  _

            Sitting up abruptly, Kaiba instinctively reached up to feel his own lips.  Unable to shake the vision that still hung in his mind, he flopped carefully back against his pillows, turning his head to look at his still sleeping brother.  Rolling his gaze over to the window, he knew that the thoughts he was having about a certain blond puppy dog were wrong, but somehow they just felt so right.  But he wasn't about to jeopardize his new friendships over some silly emotions, so he decided to ignore his feelings.  At least for the time being. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            The sound of metal slamming surrounded Kaiba as he strolled down the hall toward his locker.  He was in a very annoyed mood this morning, for once agreeing that Mondays were detestable.  Normally Mondays were just another day, but this Monday signaled the end of the first weekend Kaiba could remember actually enjoying.  As he approached he could see a shocking head of multi-colored hair, which could belong only to one boy, standing in front of it.

            "Hi, Kaiba.  Have you seen Joey this morning?"  Yugi asked, stepping aside so the taller boy could work the combination lock.

            "Puppy slipped his leash?" Kaiba asked, flinching at the accidental slip of an insult.

            "At least the dogcatchers didn't find me," Joey said as he sauntered up, hearing Kaiba's last remark.  "Sorry I didn't meet you this morning, Yugi, Janie called and offered me a ride to school."  Joey winked at the other two boys.

            "Who's Janie?" Yugi asked.  

            "She's the cute brunette in our first hour."  Joey turned toward his locker just as Kaiba turned away and walked briskly down the hall.

            "Hey, Kaiba, where you going?" Yugi called to him.

            "I have some work to do.  I'll see you guys later," Kaiba responded without turning around.

            "That was weird," Yugi said, looking back at Joey.

            Joey patted Yugi on the shoulder as they headed for class.  "Yeah, well, Kaiba's weird.  I mean, he does hang out with you now, right?  It's like a requirement to have a screw loose to be friends with Yugi Mutou."  Joey playfully dodged a small fist as he jogged ahead to class, completely unaware as piercing blue eyes followed his movements from down the hall.


	6. Chapter Six

Ray of Sunlight – Chapter Six 

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            Kaiba sat against the big oak tree where he often spent his lunch hour when there was no work to be done.  He couldn't stop thinking about the dreams he'd been having all weekend starring a certain blond friend of his.  It wasn't that he was freaked out about these dreams; in fact, he'd had many dreams similar to these when he'd first met Joey and the others.  But they had faded with time as it became clearer that his dreams would never become a reality.

            Yes, Kaiba was admitting to himself that at one time he'd felt something other than the loathing he'd shown.  But although that was some time ago it seemed like those feelings were resurfacing with their newly kindled friendship.  But Kaiba greatly enjoyed having Joey and the others around, so he would try to overlook his raging emotions and continue being "just friends" with the object of his secret affection.  After all, he'd never had friends, so perhaps this was a totally normal feeling to have for someone who treated you so kindly.

            Glancing up he spotted Joey heading towards him with a candy bar in hand.  Heaving himself next to Kaiba with a heavy sigh, Joey offered the candy to Kaiba before taking a bite of it himself.

            The two sat in silence for a few moments before Joey finally swallowed his chocolate and spoke up.  "So why are you sitting out here by yourself?  You ashamed for anyone to know you've actually been hanging around with us losers?"

            "I could care less what anyone thinks about us losers," Kaiba said, wondering if Joey caught that he'd included himself in that insult.

            Joey wadded up his wrapper and held it in his fist, trying to think of something to talk about with Kaiba.  "Hey, look at that kid," he said, deciding that Kaiba made fun of people a lot and might enjoy doing so now.  "If he stared at that girl's ass any harder I think his eyes would fall out."

            Kaiba smirked at this.  "Hey, isn't that your girlfriend's ass he's staring at?" he asked, recognizing the pretty girl from class as the one Joey had claimed to be with this morning.

            "Oh, that," Joey said, turning a light shade of pink.  "I don't really like her like that.  She's not really my type, she just lives next door to me, and offered me a ride to school today."

            Confused, Kaiba turned to look at Joey.  "Then what was with all the winking this morning?"

            "Yugi gets kind of worried about me if I don't talk about girls now and then.  He expects everyone to be as big a girl-crazy pervert as he it."  Joey rolled his eyes.

            "Yugi's a pervert?" Kaiba said, surprise hardly disguised in his voice.  This conversation was getting weirder and weirder.  Joey nodded and the discussion died off once again.

            "So what is your type, then?" Kaiba asked, immediately regretting the way he sounded as he did so.

            Joey didn't seem to think the question was strange, but paused in thought for several moments before replying.  "Would tall, dark and handsome sound too cliché?"

            "Not really, but I don't think you'll find your future wife in the next issue of Playboy," Kaiba said as the bell sounded, signaling the end of lunch.

            Laughing, Joey stood up and brushed the dirt from his jeans.  Extending a hand down to Kaiba to help him to his feet, he smiled warmly.  Kaiba felt the fluttering in his stomach as he grasped Joey's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to a standing position.  

            "And whoever said I read Playboy, Kaiba?" Joey said in a low voice with a smirk playing on his features as he wheeled around and walked into the school.

            Kaiba stood rooted to the ground in shock.  Had Joey just admitted he was gay?  Or was that just his hopeful mind making something of nothing?  That had to be it; just because Joey didn't read Playboy didn't mean he preferred men over women.  But that comment was enough to send the flutter in Kaiba's stomach into a full on blaze that consumed his entire being with a tiny sense of hope.

                                                           * * * * *

Author's Note:  Sorry this chapter was so short; this just seemed like such a perfect place to end this one.


	7. Final Chapter

Ray of Sunlight – Chapter Seven 

****

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            Kaiba's hand flew instinctively to the spot where he'd just been thwacked with the end of a pencil as he whirled around to meet his attacker.  But the only people behind him were Yugi and Joey, whom he had decided to sit by in class that day.  Yugi was frantically writing something in a notebook and Joey was thoroughly engrossed in his textbook, so it couldn't have been either of them.

            As Kaiba watched the two boys confusedly, he could see Joey's shoulders shaking and a smile fighting it's way across his face.  Turning haughtily back in his chair, Kaiba slunk further down to look as if he weren't paying attention.

            But the next time he sensed something coming toward the back of his neck, he reached his hand back and firmly grasped his attacker's wrist.  Turning to see the look of surprise in Joey's eyes, Kaiba took the pencil in his other hand and proceeded to break it with his thumb.  

            "What'd you do that for, Kaiba?" Joey asked in mock offense.

            Shaking his head, Kaiba spoke softly so the teacher wouldn't notice him talking out in class.  "I won't even justify that question with a response."

            "Ha, you just did, so there!" Joey triumphantly crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back, realizing that although, in his mind, he'd won an argument with Kaiba, he was really bored now that he had nothing to torture Kaiba with.

            'And I wanted to be friends with these lunatics why?' Kaiba thought to himself, stealing a glance over his shoulder in time to catch Joey pouting down cutely at his fingernails.  'Oh, yeah, that's why.'

            It had been two months since Kaiba had begun hanging out with Joey and the others.  He'd done a pretty good job of not letting his emotions get the better of him, but recently his dreams had become more graphic and he was starting to catch himself slipping now and then – staring for longer than necessary, relishing an accidental brush of the hand more than he should.

            Kaiba smirked to himself, picturing the expressions on everyone's faces if they found out exactly what he thought of Joey.  Their classmates were shocked to find that the two once enemies had become friends, just imagine how they would feel if they knew Kaiba had to change his sheets nearly every morning after dreaming about the mutt.

            Kaiba's sneer faded as he realized that Joey's face would most likely hold a similar expression to those of the other students; that look being disgust.        

            At last the final bell rang, signaling the end of another school day.  Standing and over exaggerating as he stretched, Joey looked over to Yugi, who was still sitting.  "So you want to go get some pizza or something, Yug?" he asked.

            "Huh?" Yugi asked, looking up.  "Oh, no, thanks, Joey.  Tea and I are going to stay after and study for that big history exam.  You can join us, if you like," he offered.

            "No, way.  Studying is bad enough, but being alone in the same room as you and Tea is torture.  I'll pass, buddy."  Joey looked up to Kaiba who was just heading out the door.  "How about you, moneybags?  Doing anything after school?"

            Kaiba stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Joey.  "Not really," he said, mentally pushing back the meetings he had scheduled that afternoon.

            "Well, you ready to spend some quality time with your old pal Joey?" Joey caught up to Kaiba at the door.

            "Am I ever," Kaiba said, wondering if he'd slipped and said it out loud.

            "Huh?" Joey asked, confusion clouding his brown eyes.

            Caught, Kaiba worked hard not to panic.  "It's called sarcasm, mutt.  Let's go."

            Hesitating only a moment before following Kaiba to their lockers, Joey tried to think of something for them to do.

            As Joey went through his daily routine of throwing everything on the ground and sorting through it to locate what he needed for homework, Kaiba leaned against his own locker and pointedly didn't look at Joey.  Outside, the rain was beginning to fall in sheets.  

            When Joey finished, he placed his backpack on top of his head and looked at Kaiba.  "Ready?"

            Kaiba raised one eyebrow and looked at the pack on Joey's head.  "What, pray tell, are you doing?"

            "I don't want to get my hair wet.  When it gets wet it gets kind of frizzy."  Joey headed toward the parking lot and Kaiba followed, shaking his head.

            Once outside Joey bolted to the car.  Kaiba just calmly walked to the car like usual, getting soaked in the process.  He purposely did not disengage the alarm and unlock the doors until he was standing next to the car, and even then he waited a moment while Joey impatiently held the door handle.

            As soon as Kaiba unlocked the doors, Joey scampered inside and tossed his backpack on the floor at his feet.  Kaiba took his place at the wheel and started the car.  

            Joey ran his hands through his hair, which was damp despite his efforts.  He let out a very sincere 'damn.'  "I think I should just shave my head, it's such a pain in the ass."  

            "Don't do that," Kaiba said, a little too quickly.  Great, now how would he explain this without admitting that he dreamed of one day running his hands through that untamable mane of hair that Joey had.  Simple solution – insult him.  "That would make you look even stupider than you already do."

            Looking thoughtfully out the window, Joey made no reply.

            "So where do you want to go?" Kaiba asked, desperate to break the silence.

            "Your house," Joey said without pause.  Kaiba was taken aback for a moment, but just shrugged it off and continued in the direction of his home.  

                                                            * * * * *

            Joey heaved a huge sigh as he flopped himself onto the overstuffed couch in Kaiba's living room.

            "So, what do you want to do?" Kaiba asked him, standing near the doorway.

            Joey looked around the room, trying to quickly come up with ideas.  His eyes fell upon an ornately carved chessboard near the picture window.  "How about we play a game of chess?"

            "You play chess?" Kaiba asked, trying not to sound quite so stunned.   

            "Not well, but Yugi taught me a little," Joey said, standing and moving toward the board, which was already set up.

            Kaiba joined him, pausing to look up at the now lightly falling rain before taking his place across from Joey.

            A few moves into the game Joey began speaking.  Kaiba didn't like to talk during chess because it broke his focus, but he didn't say anything to Joey about this.

            "Have you ever liked one of your friends, Kaiba?" Joey asked, not looking up from the chessboard.

            "How could they be considered friends if I didn't like them?" he retorted.

            "I mean, really like them, as in more than a friend?"

            Slightly stunned, Kaiba kept all emotion from his face when he replied.  "I never had any friends before you guys," he said simply.

            "Well, Mr. Smarty pants, don't you just have an answer for everything."

            "No," Kaiba replied, his hand shaking as he took his turn.  Where could Joey be going with this?

            "It really sucks, you know," Joey continued after a long pause.  "I mean, having a crush on someone is bad enough, not knowing if they like you, too, or if they'd laugh in your face if you told them."  Joey leaned back and shut his eyes, making Kaiba aware that their game was on hold for the moment.  "But when it's your friend, it's even worse, because you don't want to risk the friendship you already have to tell them you like them.  Because then you might not get to see them every day, and that would be worse than the frustration you get from not telling."

            Kaiba's heart was thumping so hard in his chest that he was sure Joey could hear it from where he was.  Could he know about the crush Kaiba had been sure he was hiding so well?

            Standing up, Joey sighed.  "I shouldn't be bothering you with this," he said.

            Kaiba stood to face Joey, not wanting the blond to leave yet.  "No, I'm your friend, too, now.  You should be able to talk to me as easily as you do Yugi.  What's on your mind?"

            Closing his eyes once again, Joey said softly, "I have a crush on one of my friends."

            Kaiba's heart leaped into his throat.  Could Joey be saying that he returned the feelings that Kaiba had been fighting all this time?  Suddenly confident, Kaiba leaned toward Joey, whose eyes were still tightly shut.  Just as Kaiba was about to capture Joey's lips with his own, Joey spoke again.

            "I have a crush on Tristan," he said, opening his eyes to see a wide-eyed Kaiba millimeters from his face.  Startled, Joey took a step backward.

            Blushing furiously, Kaiba turned and flew out of the room and outside into the gloomy day.

                                                            * * * * *

            Thoughts racing, Joey stood alone in Kaiba's living room for several seconds before following the escaped boy.

            'Was Kaiba going to kiss me?' Joey thought as he headed outside, where he knew Kaiba had fled.  'I didn't know Kaiba liked me like that.  I mean, I'd always hoped that he did, but I gave up on that long ago.  Do I still like him?  What about Tristan?  But then again, Tristan would never accept that idea; he's way too hung up on my sister.  But Kaiba?  Of all people, why would Kaiba like a guy like me?  He's way out of my class.  And I didn't even know Kaiba liked guys!  I always pictured him with some beautiful busty blonde with and IQ the same as her shoe size.  Not someone like me.  He's way too smart and handsome and sexy and gorgeous and mysterious and quiet and sophisticated and refined and classy and complicated and striking to like a guy like me.'

            Joey stopped in his tracks as he came within feet of Kaiba.  He was standing in the middle of the yard, his face turned up at the dark clouds.  As he advanced closer, Joey laid a hand on his arm to keep him from running again.  Kaiba put his head down, eyes closed and mouth slightly open.  Joey licked his lips nervously, trying to decide what to do next.

            As the clouds opened only a tiny crack overhead, throwing a splash of light across Kaiba's face, Joey made his decision and gently grasped Kaiba's chin with his fingers.  Kaiba opened his eyes and drew in a breath just as he felt soft lips ascend upon his own.

            And although the clouds showed no sign of the storm letting up soon, the two boys were oblivious to the spatters of rain that were still falling and the crash of thunder in the distance.  They could only feel the warmth from the single ray of sunlight that now fell across them both, a beacon of promise in the surrounding obscurity.


End file.
